The Sky's the Limit
by the amber dragonfly
Summary: Rewrite of my first fanfiction, Dragonfly in the Sky: a dangerous alien race is determined to steal the Ronin armors & conquer Earth for their own selfish uses. Sailor Moon & the Sailor Scouts must come to the rescue! Rated M for citrus in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I don't own Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. They'd be horrified at what I've done to them anyway.

**Chapter 1**

"Are you certain about this information?"

"Yes, my lord," came the nervous reply. "These armors were created from an emperor named Lord Talpa. They possess great strength."

"And where is this Lord Talpa now?"

"Erm…" The informant coughed lightly. "He has been defeated, by those who now bear this armor."

"I see."

"What is your next command, my lord?"

Silence met this inquiry as he stood and walked to the window that overlooked the courtyard. He placed his hands behind his back, appearing to be deep in thought as he gazed at what was once a beautiful grove.

Now, all that remained was death. The grasses had long since turned to dust as the water supply had dwindled. Trees were bare of leaves and many a limb had fallen to the parched ground. His people were dying; his planet was dying.

It was inevitable, he supposed. The time had come for him to provide his people with a new planet on which to live. There was no other choice- there was no water left and the rains had stopped many moonfalls ago. If he wanted his people to live, his legacy to continue, he needed to conquer a new planet and quickly.

"And where are these armors now, Laeren?" the lord asked without looking away from the wasteland view.

"On the planet Earth, my lord," Laeren replied with a bow.

"Earth?" the lord immediately turned to the informant, his features cold, calculated. No emotion crossed his handsome face, yet his emerald eyes glowed like green fire. "Those damned Sailor Scouts protect that planet- there's no way for me to find and obtain those nine armors without confronting _them_."

Laeren coughed again. The lord narrowed his eyes. "The Sailor Scouts have been…_neglectful_… in their protection of their planet, my lord."

"How so?"

"They have not needed to protect the planet from threats in some time. It would appear that they are simply living normal lives- no training, no battles, no concerns."

"And this helps me _how_?"

"It would be an uncomplicated matter, my lord, for us to breach Earth's defenses, obtain the nine mystical armors, and conquer the planet for our own use."

The lord made a wry sound that might've qualified as a dignified snort. "I hardly think such an invasion would be so simple, Laeren."

"I have a plan, my lord," Laeren replied meekly.

One finely arched white eyebrow raised as the lord regarded the mage. "Elucidate."

"It is simple, my lord," Laeren replied, bowing yet again. "The Sailor Scouts are now of an age where their interests lie in other things than battles and protecting the planet. In short, they are interested in finding mates."

"So?"

"So the Ronin Warriors that hold five of the nine mystical armors are also of an age to be looking for mates. If we were to, perhaps, distract one group with the other…"

The lord smiled slightly, this time with real humor. It disturbed the mage deeply- his master was even more dangerous when amused. "I see... While these lovesick fools are preoccupied with each other, we shall sneak in, take the armors and conquer the planet before either party can do anything about it."

Laeren bowed again, relieved to have pleased his master. "Thank you, my lord."

The lord stroked his smooth chin, pondering a sudden thought. "What of the other four armors?"

"They belong to four warlords, my lord," Laeren replied. "A female and three males, all from several centuries in Earth's past. They will have to be taken first, since they reside in another dimension."

"Another dimension? And how, pray tell, are we supposed to obtain access to this dimension?"

Laeren swallowed nervously as he pulled a vial from his left pocket and a slender dagger from his belt. The lord narrowed his eyes at the mage. "Do not worry, my lord… I do not seek to harm you."

"You would not have lived this long if I thought you would, Laeren."

Still attempting to maintain a positive demeanor, the mage dribbled a tiny bit of magenta liquid onto the blade of the dagger. "If I may...?"

Laeren took the dagger and held it in the air, as though getting ready to strike a foe. He stabbed the air, and shockingly, the point of the dagger disappeared, as though embedded in an invisible enemy. The mage then pulled the dagger down, seemingly ripping a fissure in the air.

The lord stared stonily at the rip in the air. "You just ripped a hole…?"

"In the fabric of dimensions, my lord. Indeed."

"Leviathan's gills, Laeren. Do you seek to destroy us all?"

"No, no, my lord! I would never!"

The lord ran a hand through his short snow-white hair, the long strands of blue-green hair in the front proclaiming his noble lineage. The shimmering strands fell back over his turquoise eyes, almost vanishing due to the similarities in color. "How long will this remain open?"

"This mixture allows us to open the portal between our dimension and the warlords', my lord, for only a few moments at a time."

The lord turned away from the mage, walking slowly toward the jeweled chest next to the royal throne. He had no other choice, he supposed.

He knelt and lifted the lid, revealing an ancient sword. The blade appeared to be made of liquid and the silver hilt was adorned with a single large aquamarine. He strapped the dark blue sheath to his back.

Lifting the waterblade out of the chest, he stood, nearly 7 feet of powerful, dangerous male. He turned to the mage, his gem-like eyes glittering.

"Let's go conquer a new world, Laeren."

^v^v^v^v^v^

"Come now, Kayura! Surely you can do better than that!"

Kayura, last of the clan of Ancients and bearer of the Armor of the Ogre, whipped her long black ponytail over her shoulder as she sparred with two of the three ex-Warlords. She smiled, a genuine smile that made her violet eyes sparkle. "I wouldn't want to hurt you boys now…"

Kale of the Jackal laughed, brandishing his no-datchi, a black-bladed sword. "You? A mere woman, hurt _us_?"

"Unlikely!" added Sekhmet of the Cobra. "We have been warlords long before _she_ was born!" He swung two of his six katanas around as he circled Kayura.

"Fools!" Dais of the Tarantula mumbled as he dangled upside down, observing the fight between the lone female and his two cohorts. "She'd tie you up and serve you both for dinner before either of you could blink."

Kayura turned her amethyst gaze to Dais briefly, sparing the Warlord of Illusion a quick grin and a wink. He nodded slightly in return, a faint smile upon his lips. Due to his missing eye, he was unable to wink back, yet the Lady of Cruelty knew how he felt. A tentative relationship had begun between the two, developing slowly these past years since Emperor Talpa's defeat. As they were both over 400 years old, they felt they had time to let things grow as slowly as necessary. Even though they had never actually said the words aloud, they were each very much in love with each other.

"Bah!" Sekhmet spat out. "You say that only because you fancy her!"

Dais chuckled. Kayura blushed slightly. "That has nothing to do with it. I speak only the truth, my friend."

"Enough chatter! Let us find out what is truth and what is not!" Kale cried as he lifted his no-datchi. "_Black Lightning_ _Slash_!"

Multitudes of jagged lightning bolts branched out from the blade, each bolt so black as to devour any light surrounding it. Kayura jumped lithely out of the way, black bolts striking the ground where she once stood.

"Your lightning is no match for her, Kale," Dais muttered with a small grin.

"Then let her try to evade this!" Sekhmet hissed. "_Snake Bite_ _Strike_!"

This, too, was evaded as Kayura jumped away again, allowing the venomous attack to land where her feet once were. She shook her hair back again, grinning at the two ex-Warlords.

Dais dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. He brushed his white hair out of his face with a hand and proceeded to walk over to a nearby tree. He leaned nonchalantly against the trunk, crossing his arms in seemingly disinterest. He knew what was coming.

"You boys have had _your_ fun," Kayura said as she lifted Anubis' old weapon, the kusari-gama. "Now let's see what _I_ can do in return…"

She jumped into the air, doing an elegant backflip as she left the ground. She raised her kusari-gama and threw the sickle end of the chain deep into the ground. "_Quake with Fear_!"

The sickle caused several fissures to crack open under the ground, then multitudes of chains flew out from the ground, effectively trapping and suspending the two ex-Warlords. Dais shook his head in amusement.

"Dammit!" Kale choked out as he struggled against the chain holding his head up. His arms and legs were likewise trapped, leaving the Warlord of Corruption as defenseless as a fly in a web.

"Should've known this would happen…" Sekhmet muttered as he pulled helplessly against the chains. The Warlord of Venom managed to turn his head slightly as he saw Dais trying hard not to laugh out loud at their predicament. "You're not helping, Dais!"

Kayura pulled back on the kusari-gama, releasing the two ex-Warlords. They dropped to the ground with identical grunts. "I believe that makes me the victor, boys."

The two men on the ground groaned. They had taunted Kayura into a sparring match, and now that she was indeed the winner, they were at her mercy.

Dais locked gazes with Kayura and she winked again. Then she kneeled down next to the two ex-Warlords. "Guess that makes you two my bitches for the week…"

Dais cackled. Sekhmet and Kale groaned again. Kayura grinned.

A strong wind blew across the field where they had practiced, making all four snap to attention. There was something on the wind- something strange.

Dais walked over to Kayura's side, his attention still focused on the wind's origin. "You sense it too, do you not?"

"Indeed, Dais," Kayura whispered. "My concern is if this presence bears us ill."

Sekhmet and Kale stood up, flanking the other two as they, too, gazed into the wind. "We should check this out," Kale said.

"Agreed," Sekhmet nodded. He turned to Dais and Kayura. "You two stay here and we will deal with the intruder."

"Who died and made _him_ Emperor?" Dais muttered as the two men ran off. Kayura lifted a slender hand and placed it gently on his arm.

"Do not worry about him," she said softly. "You know how he is." She turned back to the wind, worry defined on her exquisite features. "I just hope that they will be safe."

Dais sighed and laid his hand on top of hers. "I worry more for whatever quarry they may discover."

^v^v^v^v^v^

Too much time had passed. Dais was pacing, something the Warlord of Illusion _never_ did. He was agitated- that much was certain.

"Dais?"

He turned to the lovely raven-haired woman sitting under the tree. Her amethyst eyes, which usually held a special sparkle just for him, were now clouded with worry. She stood and walked up to him, anxious.

"I am concerned, my love," she murmured, turning her head towards the horizon, where Sekhmet and Kale had disappeared.

Dais' heart stopped briefly as the endearment reached his ears. _My love?_ After all this time, she would finally admit that she cared that much about him? He mentally shook his head. Now was not the time to rejoice over her confession. His friends could be in peril.

"I think the time has come to follow them," he replied, trying to appear unmoved by the declaration. She turned to him and silently nodded, understanding. She stepped away from his side and as one they each grabbed their left wrist with their right hand and called upon their armors.

"_Tao nin_!"

"_Tao chu_!"

Sakura blossoms surrounded the couple, enveloping them as their armors enfolded their bodies. When the sakura blossoms had finally dissipated, Kayura and Dais stood under a tree, clad in the Armor of the Ogre and the Armor of the Tarantula, respectively. Kayura held her helmet under her arm, while Dais had already donned his. She nodded to Dais, and then placed her helmet over her head. The helmet of the Ogre adjusted itself, so that her long black ponytail emerged from the rear of the helmet.

Together they leaped into the air, heading into the wind to follow their companions.

^v^v^v^v^v^

The lord looked down at the unconscious figures on the grass in bewilderment. He prodded the green-haired one with a toe as though concerned the Warlord would awaken.

"Do not worry, my lord," Laeren murmured. "They will not awaken until long after we have left with their armors."

"And how are we to _take_ these armors from them, mage?" the lord asked, still looking at the two men. "I tire of your games and riddles. Let me kill them and be done with this entire matter."

"No, you mustn't, Master!" the mage cried, cringing when his lord's sharp gaze locked on him in obvious disapproval. "Killing them will not relieve them of their armor- indeed, they will be bestowed upon new bearers. We must remove their spheres carefully." Laeren pulled yet another vial from his voluminous black robes.

"Caution," he said as he dribbled a small amount of turquoise powder onto each man. "I would not want this mixture to accidentally splash on you, sir."

The handsome lord did not do as his mage ordered; however, his right hand did take hold of the hilt of his waterblade with an expert ease.

The armors of the two Warlords began to glow, lightly at first, then becoming a bright turquoise. In a flash that nearly blinded the lord and the mage, the two men were left lying on the grass wearing strange garb instead of the armors. On the ground next to each man lay a small sphere, about the size of a small fruit. The lord strode over to the men, stooping to pick up one of the spheres. Laeren walked over and picked up the other.

"Obedience, my lord," Laeren said as he handed the brown sphere to the lord. He took it and gazed at the strange, black symbol shining deep within the globe. He looked at the dark green sphere in his other hand. "That one would be Piety, I believe."

"Indeed, Laeren," the lord agreed, his unemotional mask belying the gleam of success in his turquoise eyes as he slid his waterblade back into its sheath. "Now all we need to do is wait for Loyalty and Serenity."

^v^v^v^v^v^

"I still don't like this," Dais muttered as they raced towards their friends. "I can't sense their armors at all- it's like they disappeared."

"Then that's all the more reason to hurry," Kayura replied. She gave an encouraging smile to her companion, but her attention was quickly drawn by something in the distance. "What the-?"

Dais spotted it too. "Hurry, Kayura!" She nodded once as they ran faster toward their goal.

As they approached, they could see that there were two figures lying prone on the ground, clad in old-fashioned Japanese haori and hakama. The black haired man could've been anybody, but as for the green-haired one-

"Sekhmet!" Kayura cried as she fell to her knees beside the unconscious man's body. She placed a hand by his mouth and, to her relief, verified that he was still breathing. "What happened to you?"

"Kale," Dais muttered as he knelt next to the other man. He glanced up at Kayura, confusion clear in his single-eyed gaze. "Where is their armor?"

Kayura shook her head. Her head snapped up as she searched the nearby foliage for the source of the dangerously powerful aura she could feel. Dais stood slowly as a man of indeterminate age stepped out of the trees.

"You must be the Tarantula of Illusion, bearer of the kanji of Serenity," the extremely tall, handsome stranger said, an idle gust of wind blowing the long turquoise hair out of his eyes. The rest of his hair was pure white and cropped short, while his oddly-colored bangs hung over his eyes to brush his cheeks. His ears were strange, seeming rather like dragon's wings, with sheer membranes stretching between long spikes of flesh. His eyes flashed the same shade as his hair, reminding Kayura of the ocean. He wore a sea-blue tunic with two belts- a white one at his waist and a navy blue one positioned diagonally across his chest which seemed to support a sword scabbard. His loose-fitting pants were white, tucked into shiny boots the same shade as his scabard's belt.

Those piercing turquoise eyes turned to Kayura and remained, his gaze so sharp she was surprised she wasn't bleeding from somewhere. He assessed, weighed something in his mind, then seemed to come to a decision. He nodded regally to Kayura, who remained by Sekhmet's unconscious form. "So that would make you Loyalty, my Lady."

Dais growled. "Who the hell are _you_?"

The stranger flicked his gaze briefly to the Warlord of Illusion. His countenance remained completely blank, with only disinterest evident in his eyes. "It is not any concern of yours, human. I am Zaeras, lord and leader of the people of Wataer."

"Water?" Kayura looked puzzled.

"Not 'water,'" he replied, his voice as sharp as his gaze as he turned back to her, "_Wataer_. It is the name of my people, as we are servants to our most holy Water-god, one your race has termed a 'Leviathan'." He took a few steps forward, his eyes locked on hers. "We travel from planet to planet in search of voluminous amounts of water to satisfy our god. We stay on that planet until the water supply is drained- then we move on, searching for another water planet."

"And what does this have to do with _us_?" Dais gritted out, pulling his chin-lin-tao out. Kayura stood and took a stance next to him, pulling her kusari-gama out as well.

"My lord is in need of your armors," a new voice piped up. As smooth as satin, the voice slid across the air as though caressing the wind. A new man, this one shorter than Lord Zaeras, stepped out of the trees, garbed in flowing black robes belted with a band of shimmering material, changing colors as he moved. He held a black staff in his hands, topped with a large solitary gem that caught the light in a rainbow of colors. His dark blue, waist-length hair was tied back with a black band and his grey eyes shone in the light of his staff gem. His ears were finned as well.

"Our armors?" Kayura and Dais assumed a more defensive position. "Why would you want our armors? They are of little consequence."

Lord Zaeras reached over his shoulder and grasped the silver hilt of the sword on his back. "Oh, I beg to differ, Warlord," he said as he pulled his weapon from its scabbard. "Your armors are most important." He brandished his waterblade in front of him, the aquamarine on the hilt glittering in the light.

Kayura paused. "Dais?" she whispered, feather-soft only for his ears. "What kind of blade is that? It looks as if it were made of-"

"Water?" Lord Zaeras blinked lazily. "Indeed, Lady Loyalty. It appears that not all humans are lacking in observation abilities." He lifted the liquid blade into the air as the mage moved quickly out of the way. "My only concern now is how well you can fight against the element of my god."

He stood straight and tall, his very pose radiating power and experience, with an aura that threatened to overwhelm both Warlords with every pulse of that power.

Dais attacked first, rushing at the stranger and then fading out, attempting to use his talent for illusion to trick Zaeras into making some sort of mistake. Over and over he taunted, attacked, lured, and struck. Yet each time Zaeras merely brought up his weapon, easily deflecting each strike, seeing thru every illusion cast at him.

Kayura lifted her weapon, swinging it out to lash at the lord while he was seemingly preoccupied with Dias. Instead his waterblade came up, blocking her attack whilst still holding Dias at bay with apparent ease.

Abruptly he pushed his sword away with one hand, a huge blast of energy knocking both Warlords away. As they landed, he swiftly cut an arc through the air towards them, creating a semicircle of water that shot towards them at an almost impossible speed. Kayura's violet eyes flew wide as she tried to block the wall of water. Dais stood behind her, bracing the two of them- yet they were easily overwhelmed.

The force was so great that they were both beaten off their feet and blown several feet away, striking the ground so hard it knocked them both unconscious. Kayura's helmet fell off, revealing her lovely features, marred only by a thin cut on her left cheek from the rough terrain.

Lord Zaeras walked over to where the two lay and gazed down at Dais with a look of mild boredom. Using the tip of his waterblade, he nudged the illusion master, disappointed to see there was more fight left in his opponent for the moment.

He mentally sighed, annoyed, and turned to Kayura. He paused, stared. He realized somewhere in his unemotional mind that he was completely caught off guard by the lady's exquisite beauty. "Laeren," he murmured to his mage.

The mage hurried over. "Yes, my lord?"

"Why did you not tell me how striking the Lady of Loyalty was?"

Laeren bowed deeply, blushing slightly. "I, uh… was unaware of this fact, my lord."

Lord Zaeras arched an eyebrow at him, stating silently that he believed otherwise.

"You have the potion for their Kanji spheres." An order, dismissing the subject for now.

Laeren pulled out the turquoise powder. "Right here, my lord." He hurried over to the last two Warlords and dribbled a small amount onto each unconscious body. They began to glow, as did Sekhmet and Kale. In a blinding flash, they were garbed in the same style of clothing as the other two Warlords and there were two spheres lying on the grass.

Lord Zaeras picked up the yellow Loyalty sphere first, then the dark pink Obedience sphere. "At last," he said, not without a hint of amusement, "we have all four Warlord armors." He looked down at the unconscious Kayura and his eyes glittered, a slow, calculating smile stretching across his lips.

"And it looks as though our people will finally have a Lady of Wataer, Laeren."

^v^v^v^v^v^

Kale sat up, rubbing his head and groaning. He noticed that the sun had long since set and night had settled upon the land. He looked over and poked Sekhmet. When the Warlord of Venom merely grunted in response, Kale whacked him upside the head with his hand.

"Wake up, fool!" Kale yelled in Sekhmet's ear. "Something's wrong!"

Sekhmet grunted again, wincing as he rubbed his head. "Didn't have to hit me, you know…"

Kale looked around, doing a double take as he noticed his clothing. "_What_? Why am I wearing normal clothes?"

Sekhmet rubbed his eyes to get a better look at the Warlord of Corruption. "Interesting… you seem to have lost your armor."

"Bastard!" Kale yelled. "You have lost yours as well!"

"_What_?" Sekhmet jumped to his feet, running his hands over his green haori and brown hakama. "How the hell did this happen?"

Dais stumbled over, holding his head. He was clad in a mauve- colored haori with grey hakama. "It was that Lord of Wataer, Zaeras."

"Zaeras?" came the twin outbursts.

Kale looked around, concerned. "Where is Kayura?"

Dais winced. He turned and gazed into the distance, his expression closed and stony. "…She's gone."

"_GONE_?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Ronins**

_A year earlier…_

"Oi, Sage! Check _her_ out!"

Sage Date, otherwise known as Sage of Halo, bearer of the kanji of Wisdom, blithely ignored the voice as he buried his nose deeper into the book he was reading. His companion, Kento Rei Fuon of Hardrock and bearer of the kanji of Justice, laughed heartily as he devoured the food littering the small café table.

"Come on, Sage!" Kento nudged his friend. "They say you're irresistible to the ladies! Go say hello!"

Sage glanced up at the girl, a raven-haired beauty with deep brown eyes. Truly lovely, yet Sage knew one couldn't go based on looks alone. Personality, intelligence- these were all part of the mixture for a truly worthy female.

"Don't waste your time with that one, Kento," Sage murmured, returning to his book.

Kento sighed as the girl sat down at a table occupied by her date: a young man. "Aw, man," he moaned as he slumped back in his chair. "Figures she'd already be taken."

Sage smiled wryly and turned a page. "Don't worry, Kento," he said, seemingly unconcerned. "You'll find the one you're looking for."

Kento sat up straight. "How do you figure _that_?"

"We all 'ave our perfect matches, mate," a new voice spoke up. "We just 'ave to be smart enough to recognize 'em when we see 'em."

"Spoken like a true romantic," Sage murmured without lifting his gaze from his book.

"Hey, Cye," Kento greeted the newcomer. Cye Mouri of the Torrent, who bore the kanji of Trust, would be the one to say something like that. Calm, gentle, and a hopeless romantic, Cye was also searching for that one true love. "Where's Ryo?"

Cye pulled up a chair backwards, straddled it, and crossed his arms across the back. "'e was arguing with this girl in the trinket store next door. Apparently she was selling pendants with different kanji symbols on 'em and 'e took offense that a red one said 'stubborn.'"

Kento snickered. "Maybe that should be Ryo's kanji instead of virtue."

Sage choked on the tea he was drinking, almost spitting it out ungracefully across the table.

The Chinese man blinked warily. "He's behind me, isn't he…?" Kento said, wincing. At Cye's nod, Kento looked over his shoulder at the black-haired man glaring at him. "Heh heh… sorry, Ryo."

Ryo Sananda of the Wildfire, bearer of the kanji of Virtue, clamped a hand hard on Kento's shoulder. "If anyone should be considered 'stubborn' Kento, it's you."

"Hence the Hardhead armor," Sage murmured into his tea.

"That's Hard_rock_!" Kento grumped, crossing his arms in disgust. Ryo and Cye chuckled as Ryo pulled up a chair as well.

"Anyone seen Rowen lately?" Ryo asked, running a hand through his unruly black hair.

Cye shrugged. "'e said 'e might be by later. Something about a class."

"Yeah," Kento chimed in. "He's taking a couple courses at the university. "Thought he was done with that, though."

"Apparently not," Ryo replied. He reached over and plucked the last muffin from the plate in front of Kento.

"Hey!" Kento cried in dismay. "That was mine!"

"Give it up, Kento," Sage said without looking up from his book. "You've had a dozen of those already."

"Didn't think you were paying attention," Kento mumbled.

Cye chuckled again. "Maybe we should 'ead over to the university and check up on Rowen?"

Sage closed his book, placing it in his inside coat pocket. "Sounds like a plan."

Kento stood up, seeing as there was no more food on the table. "Yeah! Let's go see what's keeping him from having fun."

Ryo smacked Kento upside the head. "He's getting _educated_, Kento, which is more than I can say about _you_."

"Hey, I've got more important things to worry about than learning about some old dead guys," Kento retorted.

"Like what?"

When Kento flushed and remained silent, Sage spoke up for him. "Finding a girl."

"Sage!"

"What? It's true…"

Ryo chuckled. "Don't worry about it so much, Kento. Something tells me you'll find her when you least expect it."

Cye grinned, his auburn hair blown back in the wind. "Maybe that's what worries 'im."

v^v^v^v^v

Kohaku Kagerou sighed as she doodled in her sketchbook. Her topaz gaze never left the profile of the man she was sketching, although he wasn't the subject of today's project. A non-descript bowl of fruit sat on a table in the middle of the classroom had that dubious honor, yet Kohaku felt this man deserved the privilege.

The subject of her picture remained, thankfully, unaware of her fascination. He kept his attention on the bowl of fruit, drawing and erasing his sketch as he saw fit. His indigo eyes flickered every so often from the fruit back to his paper. His hair, which was a devastatingly attractive shade of blue, hung over his eyes, which only increased his appeal, in her opinion.

Kohaku sighed again. Her blue-haired crush turned slightly, as though he had heard her. She let out a muffled "eep!" before dropping her head down to hide her face and focusing on her sketch.

The end-of-class chime sounded and the professor walked to the middle of the room, stopping next to the table with the bowl of fruit. "Very good, class," he said with a bow. "We will continue our still-life sketches tomorrow."

All the students stood up and Kohaku hurriedly followed. As everyone bowed respectfully to the professor, she did as well.

As she straightened out, she accidentally knocked her sketchbook, pencils, and her portfolio onto the floor. All her sketches and pictures from her portfolio flew out, sliding all around her desk. With a sigh, she turned and knelt down, intent on picking up her art. All in all, this was not a very promising day.

v^v^v^v^v

Rowen Hashiba straightened up after bowing respectfully to the art professor. _Stupid bowl of fruit_, he thought with a grin. _Who would've thought drawing would be harder than fighting the Dynasty?_

He stashed his sketchbook and pencils in his portfolio and turned just in time to see a girl from the class knock everything off her desk and her portfolio scatter everywhere. She knelt down to gather her pictures, her back facing him.

He had seen her several times before in the class, but had never spoken with her. She never spoke in class, yet he suspected she was a foreigner by her features if nothing else. Her golden-brown hair and matching gold eyes were an unusual combination. Her complexion was pale, yet a different sort of pale than his countrymen. She lifted her chin as she reached for a sheet that had slid further out of reach and he paused.

She was pretty, yes, but not in an overblown way. She had a subtly heart-shaped face, those large gold eyes framed by dark lashes. Occasionally a stray strand of her hair would drift into her face and she would make a small grimace as she pushed it behind her ear, only to have it escape again. The mildly annoyed action made him smile unconsciously.

His gaze was drawn by her lips and he briefly wondered what they might taste like. Mentally shaking himself at such a random thought, he focused on the sketches still strewn on the floor.

Before he knew it, he had knelt down next to her, gathering stray papers. "Would you like some help?"

The girl jumped, startled. She turned to him, her large topaz eyes looking at him as though she were afraid he'd morph into a monster any moment and eat her. He paused, his gazed locked with hers for a moment, and he realized he was attracted to her.

Well. That made matters more interesting.

She blushed slightly and tucked that strand of amber-colored hair behind her ear again. "Th-th-thank you," she stammered, clearly flustered. She slid some papers into her portfolio then glanced at the ones in his hand, blushing.

Confused as to her reaction, Rowen looked more closely at the sketches in his hand. He turned one around so he could view it more clearly, running a critical eye over the image.

A pair of winged sprites, male and female, was depicted amidst tall grass stalks and oversized mushrooms, indicating how small the two really were. The female was seated on a bent-over blade of grass and the male was reaching up to her, whether to assist her down or beg for her favor, he couldn't decide.

Unaware of the girl's subtle fidgeting, Rowen turned to the next picture, this one of a lone female sprite, her wings delicately drawn as dew-covered threads, caught in mid-spin surrounded by mini dragonflies. He shuffled through the rest of the stack in his hand and glanced up at her finally.

"These are really good," he said with an awed expression as he handed the sketches to her.

The girl blushed furiously, looking away as she thanked him. She hesitantly took the sketches out of his hand and slid them into her portfolio. She stood up abruptly, mumbled another thanks, her face bright red, and hurried out of the classroom, leaving Rowen crouched bemused by her desk.

He stared after her for a while, the image of her modestly clothed figure lingering in his mind. With a small smile, he stood up but he stepped on something in the process. He looked down and saw that she had left her sketchbook behind when she rushed out of the room. He picked it up, taking note of the name and address on the cover.

Kohaku. Amber_._ Rather fitting, considering her golden hair and eyes. He grinned as he put the sketchbook under his arm for safekeeping.

Excellent excuse to ask her to dinner.

v^v^v^v^v

Kohaku walked as fast as she could down the sidewalk towards her apartment. Her eyes were on the sidewalk, but her mind was on a certain blue-haired fellow.

_Those eyes… so dark a blue you could drown in them. _

Blinking rapidly to try and clear her thoughts, she resolved to put him out of her mind- at least for now. Those midnight blue eyes could distract her later.

She sighed as she walked up the stairs to her door, digging in her pocket for her keys; she paused with the key in the lock of her apartment. _Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?_ She shook her head, unlocked the door, and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Dropping her portfolio on the coffee table, she walked as though in a daze into her bedroom. "He spoke to me," she murmured, amazed by the occurrence.

Shaking her head as thought to get her thoughts back in order, she rummaged around in her drawers for a shirt, pulling out a dark blue tank. _"_No more thinking about him," she scolded herself aloud. She whipped off her art shirt and threw it into her pile of art smocks.

Walking into to the living room, she flicked on the stereo and then turned and walked into the bathroom, intent on fixing her hair into some semblance of order.

She unclipped her hair as she hummed along with the music, allowing the goldish-brown mass to cascade across her shoulders and down her back. Grimacing at her reflection, she began pulling the brush through the tangled strands, her thoughts mulling over a new painting idea for the new canvas waiting patiently in her art room.

v^v^v^v^v

Hurrying out of the classroom, Rowen nearly ran over four people in his rush to chase after Kagerou.

"'ey! Watch it, mate!" called a familiar voice.

Rowen skidded to a halt as he looked over his shoulder at his four friends. "Cye! Sage, Ryo, Kento! What are you guys doing here?"

"We're not here for the food," Kento replied as he scowled through the doorway at the bowl of fruit still sitting on the table.

"Thank God for that," Rowen countered. "That fruit is wax anyway."

"What's in your hands, Rowen?" Ryo asked, pointing.

"This?" Rowen looked down at the sketchbook in his arms. "A girl dropped this at the end of class and I was going to go return it to her."

Kento and Cye both whistled and gave him a knowing grin. "A girl, eh?" Cye chuckled.

"Must be a gorgeous one to have caught Rowen of the Strata's critical gaze," Sage added, raising an eyebrow.

"She's kind of attractive, I suppose," Rowen mused. "I just want to return her sketchbook and maybe ask her to dinner. What's wrong with that?"

Kento snatched the sketchbook out of Rowen's arms. "Let's just see what kind of artist this girl is," he teased.

"No!" Rowen attempted to get the book back from Kento, but Ryo and Sage blocked him out as they looked over Kento's shoulders at the book. He stepped back, rolling his eyes. "Guys, that's private. Besides, there's nothing in there but some fruit."

"You're a fruit, all right," Ryo agreed, blinking at the book. "But there's nothing fruity about _these_ sketches."

Kento made a face at the pages. "Talk about your fruitcake…"

"What?" Rowen pushed his way around to see what they were staring at.

Page after page, sketch after sketch- the entire book was filled with pictures and renderings of the same man. They were magnificently drawn, almost like photographs. Some were profiles, some were merely portraits. A few, however, were full body sketches- nude ones. While the pictures were modestly done, with nothing _private_ shown, the muscles and lines were well-defined, carefully done. The sketches seemed to come alive right on paper. Rowen turned his head to get a better look at the man's face. "That's-!"

"You," the others said simultaneously, awe evident in their voices.

"Um, Rowen," Kento asked hesitantly, "when did you, um… _pose_ for these?"

Rowen's face turned bright red. "I most certainly did _not_!"

"Then who did?" Sage asked, perusing the sketchbook again. "These portraits are amazingly accurate renderings of your face."

"What about the rest?" Cye said, snickering. Kento chortled.

Rowen snatched the sketchbook back. "Never mind the rest! I'm going to take her book back to her and give it back. Regardless of what's in it or why she's done it."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Sage asked, crossing his arms. "She has a crush on you."

Rowen paused, his expression turning to a saucy smirk. "Well, then. That ought to make my job a lot easier." He turned away with a rather mischievous chuckle, leaving his friends behind him as he left campus.

"Oh _ho_," Kento laughed in delight. "It would seem that Rowen has a secret admirer!"

"She's not so secret about it anymore," Ryo pointed out. That just made Kento laugh harder.

"I think it's rather romantic," Cye replied.

"You would," Sage retorted. "You belong in a romance novel, not protecting the world."

"I agree," Cye said with a grin. "Then I'd be guaranteed to win the lady of my dreams."

"The only lady that would have you would have to _be_ in your dreams."

v^v^v^v^v

Rowen was amused. She had a sketchbook full of drawings of _him_! And in the _nude_ of all things! It was enough to make a man's ego inflate to stellar proportions.

He looked at the address on the cover and verified that he was at the right place. He grinned again and walked purposefully to the front door.

As he drew closer, he could hear a mixture of music and a girl singing along. Granted, her talent wasn't singing, but it wasn't _nearly_ as bad as Kento singing in the shower.

Rowen knocked on the door, heavily. The singing and music never stopped. Rowen waited a few moments, then rang the doorbell a few times.

The sounds within stopped abruptly and he soon heard footsteps approaching the front door. A feminine voice – much more confident than the one he had heard from her earlier – called out from the other side of the door.

The apartment door opened and Kohaku stood in the doorway, clad in a comfortable pair of jeans and a navy tank top. Her long gold hair curled around her shoulders, framing her face and setting off her topaz eyes. She blinked, utterly stunned at his presence. "…Hashiba-san?"

Rowen stared at her, completely at a loss for words. Comfortable now as if in her element, she bore little resemblance to the shy, hesitant creature he knew from class. She was shorter than he, but not by much. And that _hair_! It fairly glowed with a life of its own, changing from gold to brown to red as it shifted in the light. She was truly aptly named. His blood raced, making him fight for control of his body.

He blinked, suddenly remembering why he had come here. He coughed and looked down at the sketchbook in his hands- conveniently covering his reaction to her. "You left your, um… sketchbook… you know, in the classroom," he stammered as forced his body to obey him and relax so he could return her book to her.

She took a step back, hesitant. "Thank you," she said, bowing respectfully as she took her sketchbook back. "But you could have just left my book with the sensei…"

Rowen grinned, his devil-may-care manner returning swiftly. "Ah, but if I did that, then I wouldn't have been able to see you again until our next class."

Kohaku's eyes grew wide and her breath caught. "Wh…?" she breathed, unable to even say the entire word.

"I wanted to see if you were busy this evening," he continued, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. He stood there, seemingly amused, entirely expectant.

Silence.

"…Why?" Kohaku managed to squeak out.

"Why?" Rowen repeated, furrowing his brow slightly. "Well, I'd like to take you to dinner." He grinned again, boyishly. "If you don't have any plans I'd be interrupting."

She shook her head slightly and his hopes fell.

"No, I mean… Why me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Scouts**

"Come on, Usagi! Let me hold her for a little while!"

Usagi Chiba sighed, pretending reluctance in handing over her 1 month old niece, Hana. Rei Hino, Sailor Mars, put her hands on her hips, scowling at the blonde woman who was both Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity.

The proud aunt wrapped the pale pink blanket snugly around the baby, then handed the bundle to an annoyed Rei. "Impatient, aren't you, Rei?"

Sitting down on the floor with the baby securely in her arms, Rei stuck her tongue out at Usagi. "You would be too, if you have had to wait through all of you holding her in order to get my turn!"

Minako Aino, otherwise known as Sailor Venus, rolled her eyes. "Are you implying that we hog the baby?"

Scowling briefly at Minako, Rei turned her attention back to Hana. "The thought had crossed my mind several times, yes."

Ami Mizuno, Sailor Mercury, looked up from the book she was reading. "You do realize, Rei, that eventually Hana's father will come back to pick her up?"

"Hmph!" Rei snorted. "All the more reason for you guys to stop hogging her."

Watching the tiny infant girl sleep peacefully in her blanket created a twinge in the heart of each Sailor Scout. They had been so busy during their teen years protecting the universe from evil that thoughts of boyfriends (and families) were pushed from their minds.

Now the Scouts were all in their mid-twenties and the threats to the universe had disappeared for several years. There was peace, and with that peace came the thoughts of love and families.

Usagi stood up and walked to the open door of the shrine. She looked out at the night sky, concern on her young face. Although almost 25 years of age, she still looked younger.

"Do you… sense something odd, guys?" Usagi asked, tilting her head to the side.

Everyone sitting around the table paused.

"Feels… foreboding," Rei murmured.

"But not quite evil," Minako agreed.

"We should probably check this out, everyone," Ami suggested, putting down her book, carefully marking its place.

Makoto stood up. "If danger has come back to Earth, it's up to us to defend it."

The others nodded in agreement. Usagi turned back to her friends. "Let me call Shingo to come get Hana."

"In the meantime," Minako said, "We'll see if we can trace the source of this feeling."

"Catch up to us, Usagi," Rei instructed her friend as she handed Hana back.

Usagi nodded as she took the baby back from Rei. She watched her friends run off into the night, leaving her there with her niece. For a long time she stared after them, even though she couldn't see them any more.

_We've had peace for so long_, she thought to herself as she picked up the phone to call her brother. _ Why can't it ever last?_

v^v^v^v^v

"I can feel it! It's just ahead!" Rei pointed as they ran.

"Do you think we should transform?" Minako asked.

"That's probably a good idea," Ami agreed.

"Time to kick some ass!" Makoto cheered.

The four women stopped running and formed a line, standing side by side. One by one they called upon the powers of their planets.

"_Mercury Star Power_!"

"_Mars Star Power_!"

"_Jupiter Star Power_!"

"_Venus Star Power_!"

Once their transformations were complete, the four women exchanged a glance, all nodding. They turned back to their destination and started running again, heading into the unknown.

v^v^v^v^v

"Man, I knew this was trouble!" Ryo grumbled.

"Where's Rowen?" Sage asked, his lavender eyes never leaving the figure blasting buildings from the rooftop.

"Didn't he have a date with Kohaku again?" Kento replied.

Sage paused. "He's been seeing her almost a year now, hasn't he? Must be pretty serious."

"So you think 'e's still with 'er?" Cye pondered, scratching his head.

"There's no time to worry about that!" Ryo interjected. "We need to take this guy out _now_! To arms! _Tao jin_!"

"_Tao chi!_"

"_Tao shin!_"

"_Tao gi!_"

Sakura blossoms gather around the four Ronins, dispersing to reveal Ryo of Wildfire, Sage of Halo, Cye of Torrent, and Kento of Hardrock, all in full Ronin armor. They stood proudly at the base of the building, looking up at the figure causing all the chaos.

"Well, gentlemen," Sage sighed, "let's get a move on, then."

"Stop right there!"

The four Ronins turned at the sound of a female voice. Much to their collective surprise, four women stood poised in the middle of the street, each looking ready to do battle.

"Bloody 'ell," Cye muttered, staring rather slack-jawed at the new arrivals. "'o invited _them_?"

"I don't know," Kento breathed, "but I'm _totally_ glad they came!"

Ryo stepped forward, looking oh-so-serious in his red armor. "This is no place for civilians, girls! Get out of here before you get hurt!"

The four women exchanged glances, appearing to be trying not to laugh. "We're not going anywhere, _boys_," the black-haired one in red replied.

"Who are you?" Sage asked, propping his no-datchi on his shoulder.

The blue-haired one garbed in blue and white struck a pose. "I'm Sailor Mercury! I will freeze your evil in the name of Mercury!"

The black-haired one in red and white took up a different stance. "I'm Sailor Mars and I will burn you to ash in the name of Mars!"

The tall one with the auburn ponytail, dressed in green and white was up next. "I'm Sailor Jupiter! My lightning will shock you in the name of Jupiter!"

Finally, the blonde in orange and white faced off. "I'm Sailor Venus and my love will conquer your evil in the name of Venus!"

"We are the _Sailor Scouts_ and we're here to punish you!"

Silence.

Kento and Cye glanced at each other, and then they both turned to Ryo. Sage closed his eyes in resignation. Ryo looked back at the other Ronins briefly before turning back to the poised women.

"Um, we're sorry, ladies," Ryo called out, "but we're not the bad guys!" He pointed up at the top of the building where the mysterious figure stood, blasting buildings. "_He_ is!"

The girls looked up at the figure on the rooftop. They watched for a moment as the figure sent another energy blast into a nearby building. They glanced at each other, and then turned back to the Ronins, somewhat skeptical.

"How do we know that you aren't in league with him?" the one in green asked warily.

Kento grinned. "We're here to kick his ass. Ain't no one gonna blast buildings on _our _watch."

That brought another round of silent glances. "So… you're good guys?" the blue-haired one asked in a delicate, angel-like voice.

Sage raised an eyebrow, thinking that if she were supposed to be a warrior, she certainly didn't have the look or the demeanor for it. "I believe that's what we've claimed, yes."

They blushed. "We're sorry," they chorused, bowing deeply to the Ronin warriors. The black-haired one in red straightened up first, speaking for the group. "We'll take care of _him_ then." And with that, the four girls jumped lithely away, apparently to confront the figure on the rooftop.

Ryo looked at his friends. Sage shrugged. Kento whistled. Cye shook his head. "I wonder if we should help out…"

Kento nodded, punching a fist into his palm. "I'm ready for some action anyway!"

Cye thwacked him upside his helmet. "From the girls or from that guy up there blasting things?"

Kento chuckled mischievously. "Either."

Sage turned to Ryo. "You know, I hate to interrupt a man in love, but…"

Ryo nodded. "We need Rowen for this."

v^v^v^v^v

Laeren peered over the side of the building, taking note that the Ronin Warriors had been left behind by the Sailor Scouts. "Interesting," he murmured. He walked away from the edge of the roof, back to where his lord was standing. "The Sailor Scouts should be here momentarily, my lord."

"Excellent, Laeren," Lord Zaeras commended. "Is our plan ready?"

"All set, my lord," the mage nodded his head. "However…"

Lord Zaeras' emerald eyes narrowed. "'However' _what_?"

Laeren bowed low, nervous about his fate if he delivered bad news. "It would appear that the Ronins and the Sailor Scouts have already met."

His expression did not change but the gleam in his eye indicated malicious approval. "Isn't that interesting."

The mage suddenly cocked his head to the side, listening closely with his tapered ears. "The Scouts are coming! We must set the trap!"

"Indeed, Laeren," the lord agreed. "I will leave you to it then." He turned and disappeared into the air.

Laeren chuckled under his breath as he set the last of the ambush for the Ronins and the Scouts.

_In a few moments,_ he thought to himself, _those fools won't know up from down!_

v^v^v^v^v

Sailor Jupiter threw her shoulder against the door to the roof in an attempt to break the door down. "Ooof!"

"Don't hurt yourself," Sailor Mercury warned.

"Yeah, it's just a door," Sailor Venus chuckled wryly.

Jupiter glared at Venus for a second then threw her shoulder against the door again, harder. This time the bolt gave and the door swung out. "No biggie."

"Come on!" Mars urged, running through the open doorway. The others were fast on her heels.

The girls came to a halt in front of a short man, clad in flowing black robes. He carried a staff in his hands, the diamond gem at the top sparkling in the dim lights of the city. His hood was up, obscuring his features, but the light from the diamond caught his eyes and seemed to make them glow unnaturally.

"Welcome, ladies," he said, his voice like satin yet distinctly accented, and he gave a small bow. "Where are your new friends?"

"We don't need any help to kick _your_ ass," Jupiter retorted.

An amused snort sounded from behind the Scouts. They turned as one to see those armor-clad warriors standing behind them. The one in green had a wry smile on his face- it was probably he who had snorted.

"Well, now," the man in black said pleasantly. "I can see we're all here. Excellent."

Everyone's attention turned back to the stranger. "Just what are you up to?" Mars called out.

"A favor, my dear," the man replied, lifting his staff.

The Sailor Scouts took up their poses while the Ronin Warriors stepped forward and readied their weapons.

"I don't like this, Ryo," Cye whispered to his friend.

"Me either, Cye," he replied. "But we have to protect them- we don't want them hurt!"

Sage snorted again. "Would serve them right," he mumbled.

"Man has no chivalry in 'is soul," Cye muttered.

Kento chuckled. "Let's get it _on_!"

The mysterious man swung his staff around, the diamond on the tip shining blindingly bright. All eight fighters lifted an arm to block out the light when as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.

Everyone slowly lowered their arms and looked around. "What the hell?" Kento yelled, clearly annoyed.

Nothing had happened. The man was gone.

The Ronins walked over to the Scouts, removing their helmets as they did so. "Who _was_ that guy?" Ryo asked Mars.

"No idea," she replied in disgust without looking at him. She glanced at the sky then did a double take. "Look out!" she cried.

A tidal wave of water had appeared out of nowhere. There was no time to evade the wall of water as it splashed down upon the eight fighters, drenching them thoroughly.

"Yuck," Venus grumped, shaking out her long blonde hair. She glanced around and saw everyone was similarly soaked.

Her gaze landed on the warrior in the orange armor. He seemed to take on a soft glow as his eyes locked with hers. He took several steps toward her, transfixed. She stared back, a strange feeling coming over her.

Cye ran a hand through his wet auburn hair, grinning like a goof. "That was refreshing," he chuckled. He looked over and saw Kento and Sailor Venus staring at each other in fascination. He nudged Ryo with his elbow, his eyes never leaving the orange-clad couple. "Oi, Ryo… what's up with Kento?"

When Ryo didn't answer, Cye turned toward his friend to see him staring at Sailor Mars with the same look on his face that Kento had. "Ryo?"

Cye looked over at Sage and became more worried when it became apparent that he was gazing at Sailor Jupiter in the same captivated way. Cye scratched his head. "What the 'ell?"

"It must have been the water!" a delicate voice spoke up behind him. Cye turned around to see a drenched Sailor Mercury looking just as worried.

Cye eyed her carefully. "Why weren't _you_ affected?"

Mercury gave him half a smile. "My planet's element is ice- water won't affect me." She eyed him back. "And I would say that water must be your element, otherwise you'd be as crazy as the others."

Cye grinned briefly. "Usually I'm crazier."

Mercury rolled her eyes. "We need to get them out of here, before anything else happens," she said, looking around. "But where can we go?"

"A friend of ours has a 'ouse up on a lake- it's out of the way and we've all been staying there lately. I'm sure she won't mind a few more guests."

"Her?"

Cye chuckled. "Don't worry- she's more like a sister to us than anything else. No need to get jealous."

Mercury eyed him neutrally. "I wasn't getting jealous… I was just sympathetic towards for this woman if you all take such advantage of her kindness."

v^v^v^v^v

"I don't like this," Cye sighed, turning back to Ami, who was now sitting comfortably in a recliner in Mia's living room. "We need to find-"

"The counter-spell," Ami finished. She had pulled out her mini-computer and was already punching in data. "I'm already on it."

Cye looked over her shoulder at her computer. "You're a bloody genius, aren't you?" he muttered. "You remind me of Sage."

Ami paused, surprised. She glanced back at him. "How so?"

Cye shrugged. "Sage is a bit of a bookworm. Can't get 'im out of 'is books for anything. Calm, cool, and collected- that's our Sage."

Ami stared at him for a moment, confused. "And Sage is…?"

He pointed at the blonde man wearing khakis and a green sweater, staring across the dining room table at Makoto. "Our very own Sage of 'alo, bearer of the kanji of Wisdom."

"Halo?"

"Spirit, aura- something like that. Lightning is 'is element."

"Same with Sailor Jupiter." Ami nodded. "Who are _you_ then?"

The auburn-haired man bowed deeply. "Cye of the Torrent, at your service madam," he announced. "Trust is my kanji."

"Torrent," Ami murmured. "That explains a lot." She looked at the others. "And they are?"

"The bulky fellow over there staring at your blonde friend is Kento of 'ardrock. We call 'im Kento of 'ard'ead because he's so stubborn. 'is element is earth and 'is kanji is Justice."

Sailor Mercury nodded again. "Minako was Sailor V before she revealed herself to us as Sailor Venus. She was a solitary crime-fighter for justice. I'm seeing a correlation here."

Cye pointed to Ryo, who was staring at the black-haired one in red. "That bloke there is Ryo, our leader of sorts. 'is armor is of the Wildfire. Virtue is 'is kanji."

Sailor Mercury crossed her arms, tapping her chin with an index finger. "And Sailor Mars' element is fire as well. This proves interesting."

"'ow so?"

"Well, everyone was 'paired' up with someone of the same element. It's almost as if these pairings were deliberately planned…"

"I would 'ave to say so," Cye agreed. "We're just lucky Rowen wasn't 'ere. Who knows what would've 'appened with an odd man out!"

"Rowen? There are _more_ of you?"

He chuckled. "Rowen of the Strata armor. Certified genius, probably like yourself, but 'as a bit of a devious streak. 'e went on a date with 'is girlfriend earlier this evening." He winced. "We didn't want to interrupt 'em, but I think this counts as an emergency."

"Are you worried about his girlfriend finding out about your powers?"

This time he laughed outright. "Never. The day ol' Rowen can't 'andle a female is the day Kento gives up food."

Ami turned back to her computer, typing away rapidly as she continued the blessedly distracting conversation. The less she thought about the consequences if she was unable to find a counter-spell... "If he loves to eat he should meet Makoto. She's a fantastic cook. She practically lives in the kitchen."

"Makoto?"

Ami made an apologetic face. "Sorry. Makoto is Sailor Jupiter. My name's Ami. Mars is Rei. We've been out of battle for a long time now- I keep forgetting to not call everyone by their given name."

"Don't worry about it, angelfish," Cye said with a grin. "Something tells me we're _all_ going to be getting very friendly before this is over."

Ami shook her head. "I need to contact Usagi as soon as possible. She got left behind because of a family matter so I worry she won't be able to find us."

"Now we add a rabbit to the mix?"

"Usagi is our leader, Sailor Moon," Ami explained, pulling out her phone and scowling slightly at her lack of reception. "She and her husband, Mamoru are a vital part of our team. Together we've protected our solar system and even the universe at one point- and honestly thought we'd found a time of peace so we could start our _normal_ lives."

Cye lifted an eyebrow knowingly. "Like your illustrious leader and her beau did?"

Ami gave him a small, sad smile as she looked back at her phone. "Just so."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Rowen**

"I'm gonna beat you."

"Ha! Not in _this_ lifetime!"

Kohaku lifted her bow and carefully lined up her arrow, seemingly unaware of how her arrowhead moved around. Apparently that last glass of wine was catching up to her. "If I beat you with this shot, you have to wear pink on our next date."

Rowen had come up with the idea to stop at a local fun fair after their dinner at a small sushi bar nearby. So far they were tied for points at the various carnival games and it was Kohaku's turn.

Rowen squinted his eyes at the target. "There's no way you'll hit that. You're too drunk and you know these games are rigged."

"Come on, Hashiba! Face the fact you're gonna get beat by a _girl_."

He snorted. "Woman, we've been dating for almost a year now- when will you call me Rowen?"

She giggled softly, lowering her bow and turning to look at him shyly. "I don't know. It feels strange." She narrowed her golden eyes at him. "Besides- aren't you rather tipsy too?"

It was true. But he wasn't about to admit that to her. He struck a cocky stance, which was somewhat less than effective because he swayed slightly. "I am a Ronin warrior- I don't get drunk."

"That again?" Kohaku laughed, turning back to her target. "I thought ronin were ancient lordless warriors."

"Well, yes, but—"

"If you're such a powerful warrior—" at this she giggled again— "Then why can't you beat me?"

He huffed and crossed his arms in denial. "I'm just letting you win."

"You're just upset I won't say your first name."

_I don't want you to just say it- I want you to moan it in my ear while I make love to you._

"Now do be quiet- I'm trying to concentrate." She aimed for the target once again.

Rowen walked nonchalantly behind Kohaku as she pulled the drawstring back to fire her arrow at the stall target. Quietly as possible, he moved so close he could almost touch her.

"Amber," he whispered in her ear just before she let the arrow fly. She was so surprised to hear the English version of her name that she jerked the bow up as she released the arrow.

The arrow flew to the target, embedding itself a mere inch closer to the center of the target than Rowen's arrow. If she hadn't jerked the bow, her arrow would've probably been in the dirt.

"Ha! I win!" she cheered, handing the bow back to the carnie and claiming her prize: a stuffed unicorn. "Awww- it's so fluffy!"

He groaned, both because he lost and because he was standing so close to her he could smell her scent- a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon, along with the faint hint of something more appealing. It reminded him of warm, summer sunshine and brought a tug of desire to his heart.

Kohaku stared at her arrow as though she couldn't comprehend where her shot had landed. She blinked those topaz eyes in confusion then giggled. She turned around and looked straight into Rowen's azure eyes, smiling so brightly he was momentarily stunned.

"Looks like I win, _Rowen_, despite your efforts to sabotage me," she murmured, her face flushed with excitement and a definite purr in her tone.

He stared at her, unable to look away. The need to touch her, to hold her, was becoming overwhelming. Her smile slowly faded as he continued to stare at her. "Hashiba? What's wrong?"

She started to take a shaky step backward when he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away from the fair. He didn't speak a word as he quickly hurried her along the sidewalks, heading for her apartment.

"Hashiba? Please- what's going on? Did I do something wrong?"

He remained silent as he led her up the stairs to her apartment and put the key in the lock. Once inside he tugged her through and shut the door swiftly behind her.

"Hashi-!"

Rowen pressed her against the wall and pulled her body against his. As soon as their bodies touched, he captured her mouth with his.

v^v^v^v^v

Kohaku blinked in surprise as Rowen pulled her into his arms and kissed her, hard. His kisses prior to this had always been light, teasing, hesitant. This one- this one was pure desire.

She tried to question him but he refused to let her speak.

"Say it again," he murmured against her lips.

"Say wh-?" she tried to reply only to be interrupted quite thoroughly by his mouth.

Rowen pulled back a little to let her breath and gazed intently into her eyes. "Say my name, Amber."

She blinked at him. "Why are you calling me Amber?"

He lightly licked the corner of her mouth, teasing, taunting. "It suits you. Do you mind if I call you Amber?"

"N-no, but…"

She shakily pushed against his chest. His arms tightened around her waist. He tilted his head to the side, intent on deepening the kiss.

Amber (now that he wanted to call her that, who was she to argue?) melted into his embrace, responding to the unspoken plea. A soft whimper escaped her throat and he released her mouth only to press his lips to her throat.

"Say it, Amber," he purred, running his tongue along the sensitive skin below her ear.

"Ha…Hashi…"

"No, Sunshine." He lifted his head and kissed her deeply again. "Say my given name. Come on… You can do it… Say it. 'Rowen.'"

"R-R-Rowen," she breathed against his mouth. He moaned, wrapping his arms around her as though he never wanted to let her go.

She opened her eyes briefly, wanting to see the man in her arms as he kissed her. His azure eyes opened as well, staring into hers, intent with need and desire.

Amber paused when she noticed his eyes seemed to be glowing.

She blinked. No, his whole _body_ was glowing- glowing blue. She stared at him, bewildered."Hashiba? What's happening to you?"

Rowen lifted an eyebrow at her curiously. He looked down at himself, expecting to see the tell-tale bulge of his jeans that had shocked her. What he didn't expect was that his body was glowing blue- his friends were calling him.

"Dammit!" he swore. He ran a hand through his blue hair in exasperation, his ardor immediately cooled. "I guess we'll have to finish this later."

Amber looked genuinely perplexed. "Finish? Later?"

"Yeah." He stepped closer to her, kissed her passionately on the lips- obviously he didn't want to go- but pulled away to leave.

"Wait, Hashiba?" Amber reached out a hesitant hand but stopped short of actually touching him. "Why… why are you _glowing_? What's going on?"

He turned back to her, his eyes full of muted emotion. "Remember I told you I was a Ronin Warrior?"

"Yes, but…"

"I was serious."

She stared at him, trying to figure out his meaning. "You are a…. real ronin?"

"A Ronin Warrior. Of the Strata."

Her golden brow furrowed at the way he put a significantly different inflection on the term "Ronin." "I don't understand."

Rowen sighed. "I guess I don't have much of a choice." He gazed at her, affection quite clear in his eyes. "I trust you with my heart and soul, so I guess it's time I showed you."

He walked to the living room, standing with his back to the front door. As she watched silently, he pulled a dark blue golf-ball sized sphere out of his pocket.

Rowen grasped his left wrist with his right hand, the sphere in his left fist. He lifted his arms up over his head, and then swung them down, causing the sphere in his fist to glow and radiate blue lightning.

"_Tao Inochi!_"

Sakura blossoms gathered around him as Amber stared in shock. As the petals flittered away, Rowen was revealed, standing proudly in the middle of her living room, clad in dark blue and gold armor, a golden bow strapped to his back.

Amber blinked several times, convinced she had passed out and was having a colossally crazy dream. "…Rowen?" she whispered, taking one hesitant step towards him.

He turned, facing her finally. His face was half hidden by the impressive helmet but there was no denying it was still Rowen inside.

"Okay," she finally said, finding her voice. "I believe you now."

v^v^v^v^v

Cye and Ami stood out on the balcony, staring up at the sky. "You're _sure_ he'll come?" she asked doubtfully.

Cye nodded. "Don't you worry, angelfish. No Ronin can deny the call of our armors."

Ami sighed. A faint star in the distance seemed to be moving- getting closer, in fact. "Mouri-san? Would that be him?"

He squinted, trying to get a better look at the object. "Sure 'nuff! That's our Rowen! Told you 'e'd come."

The two warriors turned and hurried through the house, emerging out on the lawn to wait for Rowen.

As soon as he got close enough, they could see he wasn't alone. A slender girl clung to his armor as though afraid she'd fall. Her face was hidden against Rowen's chest.

As soon as they touched down, the blue bubble dissipated, leaving Rowen and the girl standing on the lawn. Knowing Rowen as well as he did, Cye realized it had to be Kohaku- and she had to be something special indeed for him to reveal his Ronin armor and his abilities to her.

Cye cleared his throat. "Need some 'elp there, mate?"

Rowen smiled. "Cye, you remember Amber, don't you?" he murmured.

Cye cocked his head to the side at the different name. "Umm…"

The girl stood on shaky legs as she held onto Rowen's arm for support. "Hi, Mouri-san. Sorry for… dropping in like this…"

"Kohaku-chan?"

"Apparently he calls me Amber now, so feel free to do so as well." She tried to smile but her green complexion rather took away from the expression.

"Is she okay?" Ami asked, stepping forward.

"She's a little air-sick," Rowen replied with a lopsided grin.

"_Air-sick_? Why did you not think of this before you dragged her up here?" Ami scolded him as she helped the girl to walk. Carefully she took the poor girl into the house, leaving the two males outside.

Cye eyed his friend. "You look… happy."

"Sans the part where she beat me in archery at the fair booth downtown, I'm delighted."

Cye raised an eyebrow as he coughed with the attempt to cover up an escaped chuckle. "You… _you, _Rowen of the Strata and perfect marksman, _lost_ in an archery contest against a _girl_?"

"Yes, yes I did. She's _good_."

"I knew I liked 'er but now I'm impressed." Cye chuckled. "So… what 'appened with _Amber_ to get her so flustered?"

Rowen grinned lasciviously. He willed his armor away, back into his kanji sphere. He stood with his hands in his jean pockets, the wind whipping through his blue hair.

"Nothing I don't intend to finish."

v^v^v^v^v

Ami took Amber to a spare bedroom so that she could refresh herself after her first bout with Ronin flying techniques. She returned downstairs and approached Rowen where he stood in the living room. "She looks oddly familiar. Where would I have seen her before?"

"No idea. How is she?"

The young woman scowled at Rowen. "She is not only air-sick, she's also rather inebriated. What were you plotting to do with her, sir?"

Cye held up a hand. "Calm down, angelfish. 'E didn't take advantage of 'er."

Ami rolled her eyes. "I will reserve judgment until later."

Rowen looked back and forth between the two, blinking owlishly. "Um, Cye? Who is this and why is she here?"

Cye cleared his throat. "Sorry, Rowen. This is Ami Mizuno- otherwise known as Sailor Mercury. She's a Sailor Scout and protector of the Earth."

"A what? Sailor… Scout? The hell is that?"

"To summarize," Ami replied, "we are soldiers of the Solar System who help protect it from evil forces. Similar, in fact, to what you and the other Ronin Warriors have done for Earth."

Rowen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I see. And I gather something evil this way comes?"

"Yes," Ami nodded. "That's why we need you. We were lured into a trap-"

"That was likely set for _all_ of us, you included," Cye added.

"And now everyone else has become… well…" She sighed.

Cye walked to the dining room doors. "Come see for yourself, mate."

As Cye pushed the dining room doors open, Rowen could see six people sitting at the table. His fellow Ronins were all sitting on one side of the long table and three girls were seated across from them on the other side. There were looks of desperation on each face. Everyone was tied down tightly to their chair yet it was clear there was a great deal of struggling going on.

"What the hell?" Rowen scratched his head, completely befuddled.

"As far as we can tell," Ami said at his side, "we were all doused with some sort of love potion. It came in the form of a huge wave of water. Since Cye is water elemental and I am ice, we were immune. Everyone else, however…" she trailed off, looking at her friends.

"We're at a loss of what to do, my friend," Cye said sadly. "Ami's a genius with that computer of 'ers, but she can't seem to find a counter-spell or anything to undo this."

"If it's a love spell, shouldn't they be doing something more…_interesting_… than just sitting there staring at each other?"

Ami actually blushed. "We had to tie them to their chairs. It was hard enough to get your friends to call off their armor and even harder to get them to keep their hands off my friends. Luckily Mouri-san was here to help with his armor. We have to will our uniforms off ourselves- or else get beaten so badly that our powers retreat. I wasn't about to suggest _that_ course of action, so we just left them."

Cye shook his head. "That's the reason that the girls are still in their costumes and Ami isn't."

Rowen pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "How are we supposed to protect the world if three of us are love-sick fools?"

Cye coughed into his hand, the cough sounding mysteriously like "four."

"It's worse than that," Ami interjected softly. "We protect not only the planet and the Solar System but the entire _universe_. It's very likely that whoever planned this is out to conquer not only Earth but the universe as well."

The blue-haired man's indigo eyes grew very wide indeed. "Oy vey," Rowen said under his breath.

"Our sentiments exactly."

v^v^v^v^v

Amber emerged from the shower, feeling much refreshed if not still a little- okay, a _lot_- confused. Distractedly rubbing her hair with a towel, she walked over to the window and gazed out at the countryside.

"As much as I love your new attire," drawled a familiar voice, "I don't think you'd be too comfortable walking around in just a towel."

The sound of Rowen's voice startled the young woman and she dropped the towel she was using on her hair. Clutching at the towel she had wrapped around herself when she finished her shower, she looked over her shoulder at the doorway, where a slightly damp Rowen leaned, his arms folded across his chest. His blue hair was wet and hung down over his eyes, and a dark blue shirt and jeans completed his ensemble. Apparently he had just finished showering as well.

He took her breath away. Like always.

He nodded at the closet, taking note of her silence. "Mia's got some clothes in there that you can wear, if you like. I'm sure she won't mind. I told you about her, remember?"

Still holding the towel in a death grip, she nodded. "You said she was abroad with her schooling."

"Yup. But she said we could use the house as we see fit." He leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips, briefly caressing her cheek with his hand. "There's food downstairs, if you're feeling up to it," he said softly. He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers.

"You don't know how badly I want you right now," he whispered before kissing her with obviously restrained passion and quickly releasing her. He stared into her topaz eyes for a moment before planting a sweet kiss on the tip of her nose.

With that, he chuckled, turned and walked back around the bed and out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

_I want you too, Rowen… _

v^v^v^v^v

"Ryo! Snap out of it!" Rowen waved his hand in front of Ryo's blue eyes. The young man ignored him, his gaze fixated on the black-haired girl- Sailor Mars? -sitting across from him as he struggled against his bonds. Cye shook his head.

"Told you, mate," he said. "Nothing gets through to 'em."

Ami looked up from her computer with an odd look on her face. "What's that sound?"

The two males paused as well and abruptly the front door slammed open, revealing a thoroughly out of breath Usagi.

"You guys are _impossible_ to find!" she wheezed, staggering inside with Mamoru walking nonchalantly behind her.

"We would've been here sooner if we'd had some notification of where you'd gone to ground," Mamoru explained politely, closing the door behind them. "Thankfully I decided to check my email this evening while we were waiting for your call.

Ami jumped up. "Usagi-chan!"

Cye lifted an eyebrow at the newcomers. "This is the rabbit you mentioned earlier?"

Chuckling, Ami walked over and grasped the blonde girl's arm, pulling her gently forward. "Mouri-san, Hashiba-san, may I introduce Usagi and Mamoru Chiba. I explained to you earlier about their role in protecting our Solar System."

Usagi waved cheerfully. "Please. Call us Usagi and Mamoru. We don't stand on formality."

Cye nodded. "I keep telling Ami to call us by our first names but as you can see, she insists otherwise."

Rowen looked slightly annoyed. "That's great, people, but we need to figure out what's wrong with our friends and who that guy was who dumped the water on them."

Mamoru pondered for a moment. "Ami said this man had a distinct accent and appeared alien. Yet so far he has not harmed anyone. Even the buildings he destroyed while luring you into the trap were empty."

Cye cocked his head to the side. "Meaning?"

"I just am curious. Is he truly evil?"

"Or is he just a distraction?" Rowen mused, catching on.

A glimpse of sunshine yellow caught Rowen's attention. Amber had finished dressing and seemed to be hovering on the stairway. He turned away from the group to meet her by the stair.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, taking her hand to guide her down the remaining steps.

She blushed. "Thank you. It was very kind of your friend to let us use her house while she is away."

Rowen smiled. Trust his little sunshine to immediately think of others even when she was being complimented. "Come on- some new people have arrived and you should meet them."

Immediately the shy side of her came out again. "I… I don't know…"

Pulling her close, he enfolded her in a hug, resting his cheek against her temple. "You don't have to be afraid when you're with me," he reminded her. "I will always protect you." Leaning back slightly he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Besides, you are among friends here."

Amber smiled up at him, her eyes bright. "Thank you, Hashiba."

"Woman…"

Laughter danced around him like a soft summer breeze. "Rowen," came the husky whisper, sending shivers down his spine.

"Oh, hell- I love it when you say my name…"

"Ahem!"

The couple turned to see Cye smirking in the doorway from the foyer to the dining room. "As much as I 'ate interrupting such a tender moment," he drawled, "Mamoru-san seems to 'ave a theory on our mates."

v^v^v^v^v

"Well," Mamoru began, "it seems as though they have been given a sort of love potion, prompting them to desperately desire the first person of the opposite sex they viewed after they were doused."

"So it's not really a 'love potion' after all," Rowen observed.

"Sounds like a pheromone elixir, designed to focus one's more basic urges, yet modified so it focuses on one specific mate," Ami mused, typing furiously on her computer.

"But 'ow would this elixir, as you call it," Cye asked, "prevent more than one person forming a… desire, as it were, for any specific target?"

"Meaning, how did the pairings end up one to one?" Ami looked up from her computer. "Whoever created the solution must have known ahead of time what each of our elements is and used it to spark the initial call."

Usagi cocked her head to the side and blinked bright blue eyes. "…What?"

"Fire and fire, lightning and lightning." Rowen crossed his arms over his chest. "It's ingenious, really." He turned to look at Mamoru. "Too bad they didn't take into account Cye and Ami-chan would be immune due to their elements being water based."

"One thing I don't understand," the Prince of the Earth said, looking at Sailor Venus and Kento, "is how these two correlate. Kento's element is earth, while Venus's element is love, right?"

"Metal, actually, which certainly can be considered compatible with earth," Ami explained. "Even though most of her attacks are named for love, her planetary element is metal."

"So we've solved the mystery of _how_ they were afflicted," Usagi piped up, looking at her friends worriedly. "The other question is _why_?"

"We can only assume it was meant as a distraction," Mamoru pointed out. "With both teams of protectors otherwise preoccupied, whoever planned this must have something else in the works."

"We can worry about that after we figure out an antidote to the solution," Rowen said, walking over to Ryo and gazing down at him with determination in his eyes.

"All my efforts at creating one have failed," Ami admitted. "I don't know what else to try."

Cye chuckled. "Did you think about giving 'em a cold shower?"

Ami stared at him.

"What? What did I say?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4: Solution**

"_We never washed that water off of them!_" Ami breathed. "How could we be so stupid?"

Cye smacked himself in the forehead. "We never thought to try that…"

Rowen nodded. "We should try it out first- see if it works."

"Who first?" Usagi asked.

"Let's try Ryo- Cye and I are bigger than he is, so it won't be too terribly hard to get him into the shower."

"Why not just throw them into the lake?" Usagi quipped jokingly.

Cye chuckled. "I like the way this gal thinks."

She blinked. "I wasn't being serious."

Rowen shrugged with a grin. "Sounds like fun anyway."

The two warriors untied Ryo from his chair and immediately he struggled to get around them, intent on pouncing on Sailor Mars. Sailor Mars began struggling harder against her ropes.

Mamoru hurried over to the patio door to assist while Ami and Usagi tried to restrain Mars. Amber, who had remained silent on a chair during the entire discussion, suddenly stood up and walked slowly towards the girls.

Rowen looked up at his girlfriend. "Amber? What's wrong?"

"You need to take her too," Amber said softly.

Usagi and Ami exchanged a glance.

"Call it a feeling," the girl explained, looking rather serious.

"You guys get Ryo down to the lake. We'll bring Sailor Mars," Ami called to the two males as they fought to get Ryo out the door without hurting him. They nodded as they disappeared.

Ami untied Mars' ropes while Usagi kept a tight grip on the black-haired girl. Ami reached down and grabbed one of Mars' arms while Usagi grabbed the other. Together they managed to force the fidgeting girl to follow Ryo, Amber and Mamoru trailing after.

They followed Cye and Rowen's path to the lake, where the boys were standing out at the edge of the dock. Ryo was still straining to get away from them so he could get to Mars, and she started doing the same when she spotted Ryo.

"I don't know if I can do this!" Usagi moaned. "Mars is one of my best friends! I can't just dump her in a lake!"

Cye and Rowen chuckled as they held onto Ryo. They exchanged a glance, grinning like loons. Then, as one, they each grabbed one of Ryo's legs and an arm and proceeded to toss him ruthlessly into the lake.

"Ryo's one of our best mates, too," Cye panted as he wiped his brow, "but there's times when ya gotta do what ya gotta do."

"Even if you enjoy it," Rowen added with a laugh.

Ami looked at them like they were crazy. Rowen rolled his eyes, grabbed Sailor Mars and threw her into the lake as well.

"What did you do _that_ for?" Usagi squawked. "We could've gotten her into the lake a lot gentler than that!"

"I doubt that, Mrs. Moon," Cye said. "But we got her in the water, regardless."

Amber looked into the water, searching for signs of the two fighters. Soon enough, a black head of hair broke the water's surface, spluttering and wiping water out of bright blue eyes.

"Hey! What the hell was _that_ for?" Ryo demanded as he treaded water.

"Ryo! You're back to normal!" Cye cheered.

"Normal?" Ryo asked, perplexed. A second black head surfaced, spitting out water. Dark violet eyes flashed in fury as she looked up at the quartet on the pier.

"Ami!" Sailor Mars shrieked. "How in the hell did I get in a _lake_?"

"Yup," Ami grinned, "she's back to normal, too."

Ryo looked over at Mars. Mars looked at Ryo.

"Red's a great color on you," Ryo commented.

Sailor Mars blushed. "It's my favorite color."

"Mine, too."

Cye groaned. "Looks like we didn't wash 'em long enough."

v^v^v^v^v

A dark figure slunk down the hallway, pausing as he peered into different bedrooms. Finding one he seemed interested in, he entered silently.

On the nightstand next to the bed sat an orange sphere. The figure lifted it up, inspecting it to see the black kanji symbol inside. _Justice._

The figure left the room quickly, heading for another room. On a desk in this room sat a green sphere. _Wisdom._

Checking one last room, the figure was dismayed to see that there was no kanji sphere in sight. He grasped a drawer and opened it, delighted to see the faint glow of the red sphere. _Virtue…only two more to go!_

The dark figure fled the room, escaping into the night with his stolen bounty. _Soon, Life and Trust will be my Lord's!_

v^v^v^v^v

Minako sat on her bed in the strange house. That green-eyed man with the auburn hair kept looking at her intently, as though memorizing her features. For the past couple days he'd been seemingly waiting on her hand and foot while she and the other afflicted people were recovering from their ordeal.

It was rather intriguing.

"Do you need anything else, my lady?" he asked with a grin.

She smiled back. This man was an absolute gem. "Now that you mention it, I _am_ rather hungry, mister...?"

"'Ow remiss of me. I completely forgot to introduce myself. Although in my defense, you were not exactly in your right mindset to remember my name. I am Cye Mouri of the Torrent armor," he replied with a bow. "Trust is my creed. You are the lovely Princess Minako, protector of Venus."

Minako blushed delicately. "No one has called me Princess in quite some time."

"Ah, but you're a princess to me," Cye replied with a wink. "So what would you like to eat? I will bring you whatever you desire."

"Actually, I'd like to go downstairs to eat. Being trapped in the room for the last few days has made me anxious to get out and about."

"Are you sure you are up to it?" he asked, concern evident in his lilting voice.

"Please."

"Very well," he said, grasping her hand and pulling her to her feet. "But I beg leave to accompany you, Princess." He winked. "I want make sure you arrive safely."

Minako laughed and blushed deeper, allowing Cye to escort her to the kitchen.

As they entered the gigantic kitchen, they were greeted at the sight of Makoto, clad in jeans, a beige sweater with rolled-up sleeves and an apron, frantically preparing plate after plate of delicious-smelling food. Leaning against the countertop was Kento, stuffing his face in characteristic manner.

"Figure's we'd find you 'ere, Kento," Cye teased. "Wherever there's food, it's usually in your mouth."

"It's not my fault Makoto's such a great cook!" Kento protested in between bites. Minako glanced at the other girl, who was blushing. She took note of the lack of honorific- the two must've gotten very close indeed in the past few days.

"It's nice to cook for such an appreciative gourmet," Makoto said, smiling into her fry pan.

"Gourmet? He just loves to eat!" Ryo interjected as he and Rei entered the kitchen.

"Nothing wrong with that," Kento mumbled as he took another bite. "Where are Sage and that Ami girl?"

"Library," chorused the collective reply.

"I haven't seen Rowen in a while, either," Ryo added.

"'e's probably out with 'is Amber," Cye mused.

"Amber? Oh, you mean that quiet blonde girl that's here?" Rei asked.

Cye nodded. "'er name is Kohaku Kagerou, but Rowen calls her Amber. They've been dating for quite a while but so far she didn't know anything about 'is powers."

Rei turned to Ryo. "We really should introduce ourselves properly, considering most of us have been out of it for a while."

Ryo scratched his head. "I dunno. She's foreign, right? What would you term _properly_?"

Rei exchanged a glance with Minako, who tried hard to keep from laughing.

"She likes music," a new voice piped up. Everyone turned to see Sage and Ami stroll into the kitchen, each with a book in their hand.

"How do you know that?" Makoto asked, turning her attention to filling Kento's emptying plate.

Ami sat down at the table. "We sat down and talked while everyone was recovering. I learned quite a bit about her."

"Music?" Minako latched onto the main subject. "We could do a karaoke party to thank her!"

Rei shook her head hard, vehemently protesting the idea. "Absolutely not. There is no way that I'd participate in something as childish as karaoke."

Ryo raised an eyebrow at her and Minako laughed outright. "Come on, Rei! We all know how fantastic you are at singing!"

Rei glared daggers at Minako as though trying to shut the girl up with her stare alone.

"I think that's an interesting idea," Sage agreed quietly. "We don't have to have it strictly karaoke- we could simply have music playing as well."

Makoto held up her frying pan. "I'll do the food!"

"Better keep Kento out of the kitchen while she does, then," Sage observed.

"Come on, Kento," Cye said, pulling on Kento's arm. "Let's go set up the stereo system outside."

Minako looked at Ami. "I'll go through Mia's clothes and see if there's anything we can alter for her to wear. I know she doesn't have anything here."

Ami nodded. "Usagi was asking about her. We will come help you." The two girls hurried out of the kitchen, discussing ideas.

Ryo looked at Rei and took her hand. "I guess that leaves us to do some decorating."

Rei blushed as she allowed Ryo to pull her away, leaving Sage in the kitchen with Makoto.

He stared at her for a few moments in silence.

"I'm sorry for what happened."

Makoto looked up from the stove in surprise. "Why? It wasn't your fault."

"Still- if Cye and Mizuno-san weren't there, I would've…" he paused delicately. "Anyway, I still feel as though I should apologize."

"You shouldn't," Makoto said firmly, stirring the pot. "I probably would've let you."

His lavender eyes widened in surprise. "Why?"

Makoto glanced at him, confused. "I was affected too, remember?"

"Oh. Right."

"No offense, Date-san, but you're just too laid back for my taste," she continued as she tasted some sauce.

"I am?"

She grinned at him. "I prefer a guy that isn't afraid to fight for what he wants. One that is temperamental and quick to defend someone, like me. Especially if he likes my cooking."

Understanding dawned. "Kento."

"Exactly."

"I think you're in luck there, Kino-san- I believe our Kento of Hardhead has finally met his match."

Makoto stuck her tongue out at him even as she laughed. "Hard_rock_."

v^v^v^v^v

"I'm really nervous."

"Don't be. You know all my friends and the Sailor Scouts are looking forward to meeting you properly."

Amber paced across the lawn, the wind catching the skirt of her sundress and making it billow around her legs. "You know I'm not very good with new people."

Rowen chuckled as he sat on the grass. "Sunshine, there are very few people who are. Just be yourself and they'll love you almost as much as I do."

Amber stopped pacing and turned to him, staring at him oddly. "…What?"

Rowen looked at her in confusion. "What?" he repeated.

"Wh-what you just said."

"Just be yourself?"

She blushed but refused to look away from his gaze. "You… you said…"

"That I love you?" Rowen grinned. "Yeah, I suppose it's a bit overdue. And probably not a very romantic way of telling you either."

All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears. "Rowen…"

He sat up in a flash, grabbed her and kissed her, pulling her down onto his chest as he fell back onto the grass.

Amber only had time to utter a muffled "eek!" as Rowen proceeded to kiss her senseless. He deepened the kiss, dipping his tongue slightly into her mouth.

She gave herself up to the blissful sensations and became pliant against his body. His strong hands that had drawn her bow as if it were a mere toy held her like she was made of fine glass. She had never felt so absolutely adored.

Her hands shook slightly as she dragged them slowly up his chest and up the back of his neck. When she buried her fingers in his hair he groaned against her mouth.

As quickly as he had pulled her to him, he rolled her over, laying her on the grass with his body half covering hers. He pulled away briefly to gaze down into her topaz eyes, made brighter with desire.

"God, Amber," he groaned as he lowered his head to taste her lips again. His hand slowly came up over her ribcage to lightly brush across the tip of her breast.

She gasped at the contact. He took the opportunity to trail soft kisses down her neck, nibbling tenderly at the juncture at her shoulders.

She arched up against him, causing her breast to push fully into his palm. He groaned again as he gently massaged the proffered globe.

"Well, mate, it looks like _you_ two are getting along _smashingly_ well."

They both froze, their eyes snapping open at the interruption. Amber's face turned deep red in absolute mortification, while Rowen simply lifted his head to glare at the intruder. "Dammit, Cye…"

"Sorry, sorry," Cye apologized with a chuckle, holding his hands up in an "I surrender" gesture. "Just thought you two would like to be forewarned of tonight's entertainment."

"Entertainment?"

"Our female guests decided we should 'ave a moment of relaxation and celebration before we 'ead out in the morning to 'unt down that bloke what dumped mojo juice on us."

Amber sat up, rolling Rowen off of her. Her hair was delightfully disheveled and her face was still flushed. "Are you sure it is okay to do this?"

Rowen put his hands behind his head and grinned up at her from his prone position on the grass. "Oh, I think it's a delightful idea. We could us a moment of celebration before we rush off to battle."

"If we can even find 'im." Cye turned and looked towards the lake. "'E seems to 'ave vanished. And I don't know 'ow," he said, crossing his arms over his chest, "but somehow this new opponent is messing with the balance of things."

Rowen nodded as he looked at Amber. "We Ronins can sense things with the elements of the planet are changing- and they only started changing after that guy showed up. So it's logical to conclude that he is the cause of it."

Amber walked over to Cye and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "…The lake is drying up, isn't it?" she murmured.

Slightly surprised, he regarded her. "'Ow did you know that?"

She only continued to stare at the water. "The water line on the dock is evident," she observed, "but the water level drop is rather significant. The weather has been dry during our time here but not hot enough to evaporate such a substantial amount of water in a lake that size." Her expression turned morose. "It even feels different in the air."

Cye sighed and nodded, slowly. "The planet is drying up," he admitted. "So we need to 'urry and deal with this new foe and save our Earth."


End file.
